I’ve always done a decent job managing my emails. I stayed organized enough, but my inbox was never truly empty. Like many people, I was using it as a makeshift to-do list, leaving emails there as reminders of tasks I needed to handle.
It worked… but not perfectly.
Then I discovered Microsoft To Do and everything changed. Check out the blog post on Microsoft To Do to get started using it.
Now, my inbox is clean, my tasks are organized, and my focus is better than ever. Here’s how I do it:
Step 1: Turn Off Notifications
The first thing I did was turn off all email notifications, both on my computer and phone. No more constant distractions. Instead, I check emails only a couple of times during the day. This alone made a huge difference in my focus.
Step 2: Process Emails Quickly
When I go through my inbox, I use the 2-minute rule:
- If an email takes less than 2 minutes to handle, I do it immediately.
- If it will take longer, I flag it and schedule it in Microsoft To Do by setting a due date.
Step 3: Archive Everything
Once an email is dealt with or scheduled, I move it to my Done folder in Outlook.
- I even configured a keyboard shortcut to make this super fast.
- No complex folder structures. (I used to sort every email into a specific folder).
- No wasting time sorting. I use the search if I need something.
And by the way, studies have shown that sorting emails into folders is a waste of time and that searching is faster!
Step 4: Keep It Simple
I used to create a new subfolder every year under my Done folder. I even stopped doing that. Now, everything just goes to Done. Easy.
Why Microsoft To Do is a Game Changer for me
Before, I would leave emails sitting in my inbox because I “had to deal with them later.” Now, every important email gets a due date. It’s crystal-clear what needs attention today.
Flagged emails in To Do let you open the email directly when you’re ready to act so no digging around.
In short:
By combining Outlook with Microsoft To Do, I keep my inbox clean, my tasks organized, and my email stress low.
If you’re struggling with email overload, I can’t recommend this enough!
